Once treated as exclusive spaces for valuable but hidden and under-utilized material, over the past few decades special collections departments have been transformed by increased digitization and educational outreach efforts into unique and highly visible major institutional assets. What libraries must now contemplate is how to continue this momentum by articulating and implementing a dynamic strategic vision for their special collections. Drawing on the expertise of a world-class array of librarians, university faculty, book dealers, collectors, and donors, this collected volume surveys the emerging requirements of today’s knowledge ecosystem and charts a course for the future of special collections. Expanding upon the proceedings of the National Colloquium on Special Collections organized by the Kelvin Smith Library of Case Western Reserve University in October 2014, this timely resource for special collections librarians, administrators, academics, and rare book dealers and collectors recounts the factors that governed the growth and use of special collections in the past;explores ways to build 21st-century special collections that are accessible globally, and how to provide the expertise and services necessary to support collection use;gives advice on developing and maintaining strong relationships between libraries and collectors, with special attention paid to the importance of donor relations;provides critical information on how libraries and their institutions’ faculty can best collaborate to ensure students and other researchers are aware of the resources available to them;showcases proactive, forward-thinking approaches to applying digital scholarship techniques to special collections materials;looks at how the changes in the way authors work—from analog to digital—increases the importance of archives in preserving the aspects of humanity that elevate us; and examines sustainable and scalable approaches to promoting the use of special collections in the digital age, including the roles of social media and crowdsourcing to bring collections directly to the user.More than simply a guide to collection management, this book details myriad ways to forge the future of special collections, ensuring that these scholarly treasures advance knowledge for years to come.

Addressing the most exciting and challenging areas in the profession, this text will be invaluable to any professional looking ahead to the future of special collections and related cultural heritage work. Special collections today—from rare books and other specialized book collections to audio recordings and visual images—offer librarians limitless opportunities to showcase their skills in curating, preserving, and offering access to these resources to patrons. Drawing on innovative practices and enduring values to address challenges and opportunities in the broad realm of special collections librarianship, this book updates the notion of special collections to the wide range of materials, institutions, and contexts where they exist today. The contributed essays describe the various kinds of innovative projects and practices that are sought by IMLS and other funding agencies today and serve to illustrate how going beyond a traditionally limited idea of special collections opens doors to far more engaging opportunities. Spanning the converging worlds of academic and special libraries, rare book collections, archives, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions, this book will be useful to newcomers and seasoned professionals alike. The essays address the recurring themes of managing and welcoming change and the impact of digital technologies throughout the book, whether regarding new approaches to outreach and instruction, the acquisition and curation of non-traditional collections, new structures for discovery and access in a digital world, or the nature of special collections work now. Both experienced professionals and recent graduates from one of the booming archival studies programs will find this text invaluable in creating a successful career in special collections or cultural heritage curation today and in the near future.

"Description: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections explores how archives of different sizes and types and enhance the accessibility of their holdings. It features eleven case studies to help archivists and special collections librarians better describe their collection so that users can locate the right materials. This volume will be useful to those working in archives and special collections, as well as other cultural heritage organizations, and provides ideas ranging from those that require long-term planning and coordination to ones that could be immediately implemented. It also provides students and educators in archives, library, and public history graduate programs a resource for understanding the variety of ways materials are being described in the field today and the strategies archivists are using to ensure collections can be easily found."-- Back cover.

Appraisal and Acquisition: Innovative Practices for Archives and Special Collections explores how archivists and special collections librarians in organizations of different sizes and types have approached the challenges of collection, as well as exploring opportunities to acquire new kinds of materials and conduct thoughtful reappraisal. The case studies featured are: 1."No Fame Required" Collaboration, Community, and the Georgia LGBTQ Archives Project 2.Placed Out: Providing a Home for the Records of the Children's Aid Society and the Orphan Trains 3."I Really Can't Wait to Archive this Exchange" Exploring Processing as Appraisal in the Tim Kaine Email Project 4.Hardware for SoftPoems: Appraisal and Acquisition of Vintage Computer Equipment 5.From Projects to Policy: The Evolution of a Systematic Reappraisal Program 6.Terabytes from Far-Off Lands: Acquiring Records of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program 7.So Much to Do, So Little Time: Prioritizing To Acquire Significant University Records 8.The Studio Theatre Archives: Staging an Embedded Appraisal 9.Making the Bulb Want to Change: Implementing an Active Electronic Records Appraisal and Acquisition Program 10.Weaving the Web of Influence: Maximizing Archival Appraisal and Acquisition through the Use of "Spider Advocates" 11.Reappraisal and Deaccessioning: Building for the Future by Removing Some of the Past 12.Tap into History: The Birth of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives These case studies show a range of strategies and processes, but all were selected because they demonstrate ideas that could be transferred into many other settings. They can serve as models, sources of inspiration, or starting points for new discussions. This volume will be useful to those working in archives and special collections as well as other cultural heritage organizations, and provides ideas ranging from those that require long-term planning and coordination to ones that could be more quickly implemented. The chapters also provide students and educators in archives, library, and public history graduate programs a resource for understanding the varieties of issues related to appraisal and acquisition and how they can be addressed.

The chapters in this book address the growing endeavours of shared print repositories and programs in academic libraries, representing a global perspective with authors from Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. This book illustrates the complicated processes and challenges of coordinating selection, determining storage agreements (distributed or shared), ownership concerns, business models, and a host of collection maintenance issues. These efforts entail immense collaboration, regardless of the size of the project. Luckily, librarians are good at collaboration, but not always good at forging ahead into an uncertain future with regard to print collections. As echoed by authors in this book, the future is indeed uncertain, but undoubtedly libraries who partner together to address print archiving dilemmas will be better prepared for whatever the future holds. This book was originally published as a special issue of Collection Management.